Until several years ago, grownups collecting freebie figures from candy or snack boxes would have been labeled otaku -- geeks. Now they're practically normal.
Kenji Takasu, a 40-year-old businessman, is among thousands of adults openly indulging a childlike passion for collecting these small toys. His specialty is Choco Egg figures.
Produced by Furuta Seika Kaisha Co., the elaborately detailed miniatures -- mammals, birds, insects, fish and reptiles -- are packaged inside egg-shaped chocolates. Consumers don't know which figure an egg contains until they buy it and break open the chocolate shell.